A typical orthosis relies primarily upon strapping to secure the orthosis about the foot or ankle. The strapping may include a single strap or multiple straps, sometimes used in a figure eight strap arrangement. Typical strap arrangements are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,869,267; 5,501,659; 5,657,767 and 5,899,872. These types of strap arrangements have shown to be ineffective and result in the heel of the foot pulling up and out from the desired position of the foot in the orthosis.
One of the challenges to the orthotist is the patient that has tone and heel chord tightness. It is desired with this type patient to maintain the ankle foot complex in the desired, usually 90 degree position, to aid in the ability to either ambulate more efficiently or to not aggravate any type of deformity that is currently present.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved orthosis for securely maintaining and holding the ankle complex in the desired position.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an orthosis that has the characteristic of maintaining the desired position of the ankle through the use of a two-part brace structure that employs a male-female locking mechanism.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of fabricating a foot orthosis.